Welcome To Our KRAZY Life!

Why is it KRAZY you ask? 7-3-2-2. No, that is not our PIN number - that is how old our four girls are! With two very busy 2 year olds, a WILD 3 year old and a first-grader who is 7 going-on 16, we certainly have our hands full. But that means our hearts are full too. Talk about KRAZY!

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Thursday, November 6, 2008

Yes - we are still here!!

I know it has been forever since I have posted but I have had to choose between blogging and sleeping and well, you can tell what I chose. So, I will try to go back to the last post and catch you up on everything that has happened since then.

Hospital Stay: On Friday, when they were one week, we noticed that Kamryn wasn't eating well and seemed to sleep a lot and be very lethargic. We talked to the doctor and he had us stop nursing and do bottles only until the morning, when he would see us in the office. When we saw him Saturday morning, Kamryn's weight was still down and she had not eaten well during the night, continuing to be lethargic. He did not seem as concerned as we were but I knew that something was not right and I guess he picked up on that and decided that we needed additional testing and sent us to the hospital. Once we got there, the nurses were able to see that Kamryn was having trouble eating and that she was very lethargic. The doctor ordered some blood work as well as an upper GI scan to check for any problems. The scan was normal but here blood work showed a little dehydration and a high bilirubin level. Her level was 17.5 and apparently 20 is the point where brain damage can occur. So, the started her on the photobed (a light bed, sort of like a tanning bed) as well as IV fluids. We also changed her formula from regular Similac to Alimentum which really seemed to help. She did the bed and IVs all night and by morning we could see a HUGE difference. They rechecked her bilirubin then and it was down to 12. So, she came off the bed and IV and then they rechecked bilirubin again that afternoon - it had gone down even more to 10 so we got to come home. Basically she had been caught in a vicious cycle that she couldn't break - the high bili levels made her lethargic, which made her not want to eat, which made her more tired and lethargic, etc. etc. Eating was the thing that would get the bili levels down but she was just too exhausted from not eating to eat any more. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO PRAYED FOR KAMRYN - AGAIN OUR PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED!!!

Feeding Specialist: Once we got home, Kamryn was definitely better but she was having major problems eating from the bottles that we had. We tried several different kinds but with no luck. Ken finally had to go back to the hospital and get bottles from them to make it through the next day or so. Then we had the pediatrician refer us to the feeding team (he had mentioned doing this anyway when we were in the hospital). We were able to see an OT on Tuesday - she said that Kamryn is a "disorganized" eater. She can do all the separate parts of eating - sucking and swallowing but she can't put them all together and breathe in between. So, she has to use a special bottle ($30 a piece) and we have some other things to do while she eats to help her eat better. We have seen the OT again since the first visit and Kamryn has not really gotten a lot better but she has not gotten worse. So, we will continue to work with her and see the OT again in 2 weeks.

GA/FLA & Halloween: We had planned for several weeks that Karlee would go to Jacksonville with Ken's parents for the ball game - especially since her cousin Tanner would be going. Ken decided Thursday after she left, that he really wanted to go but he didn't want to leave the rest of us. We thought about just packing up everybody and going but decided that might be a little too much!! I finally convinced Ken to go and have a good time - he deserved it after being SUPERDAD since June when my bedrest started. So he left Friday at noon and got the J'ville in time to meet Karlee and the rest of his family at a Halloween Fall Festival. Karlee had a great time as Supergirl and she was very excited to see her daddy. They enjoyed spending time together but I don't' think Ken enjoyed the ballgame too much!! Kendall, the twins and I stayed home with my mom. Kendall was Raggedy Ann for Halloween - it was the cutest costume - she loved the hat! My cousin Kerry came out and we dressed the twins in their Halloween onesies and went trick-or-treating at a few houses in our neighborhood. After Kendall got a sucker at the first house, she was not interested in getting out of her stroller and going to any more houses so we can home. She LOVED opening the door for all the kids that came to our house. She would shriek and run to the door every time the doorbell would ring.

House Update: The new addition is coming along very smoothly. They have been painting this week and the cabinet guy is coming to install the vanity in the girls' bathroom as well as the cabinets in my scrapbook room. The trim guys should start on Monday, then flooring will be next. From the outside, you can hardly tell that it is an add on - the brick guys did an amazing job and so did the painter. Ken still assures me it is on schedule to be finished by Christmas.

Skinny Minnie & Roly Poly: The twins are identical. We know for sure because they shared a placenta - this could only happen if they were identical. (This is also the only way they could have TTTS). However, because their weights are so different it is pretty easy to tell them apart - there is a "small one" and a "big one" (a.k.a. Skinny Minnie and Roly Poly). Kamryn is the bigger of the two and weighs about 8 pounds. Kourtney is smaller and weighs 6 pounds 11 1/2 ounces. Kamryn's face is much fuller where as Kourtney's chin is a little more pointy. They have many of the same mannerisms and they sleep the same way - even down to how they hold their hands. But, they are already starting to have their own little personalities. I can't wait to see how they will look and act as they get older.

I hope that catches you up a little on some of the things that have been going on. In the midst of all of this, we have been trying to adjust to life with "four under five". I have had the twins by myself quite a bit and it is not too bad - I have managed so far. I have even done the twins and Kendall by myself - a little tougher but still not too bad. I have yet to try all four by myself - I am not totally crazy!!! I am feeling good and I hope to start driving again sometime this weekend. I will post pictures and more twin info soon.